China is ploughing money into Southeast Asia, but as welcome as all this economic activity is to the region, it could also present political problems, as countries confront China over issues such as its claims in the South China Sea.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to Burmese authorities on Tuesday to end violence against Rohingya Muslims in Arakan State, warning of the risk of ethnic cleansing and regional destabilisation.

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, called on her fellow laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to condemn the “shameful” treatment of Rohingya Muslims in Burma, saying “the world is waiting” for her to speak out.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has sent his foreign minister to Burma to urge its government to halt violence against Rohingya Muslims, he said on Sunday after a petrol bomb was thrown at the Burmese Embassy in Jakarta.

Pope Francis will almost certainly visit Burma and Bangladesh, two countries caught up in a crisis over the Rohingya Muslim minority, before the end of the year, a senior Vatican source said on Wednesday.

Bangladesh has stepped up patrols on its border with Burma, following reports that about 1,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed into the country in the past two weeks, amid fresh tension in its neighbour’s northwestern Arakan State.

India is in talks with Bangladesh and Burma about its plan to deport around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims it says are living in the country illegally, a government spokesman said on Friday, with state governments told to form task forces for the purpose.

Energy-hungry Burma is in initial talks to buy electricity from China, according to officials and documents reviewed by Reuters, in the latest sign of warming ties with Beijing under leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The United Nations’ Human Rights Council has replaced the chairwoman of a team investigating allegations of killings and rape by Burma’s security forces, it said on Thursday, amid concerns over her perceived bias.

Lawmakers in the Lower House on Tuesday put their official stamp of disapproval on the UN special rapporteur’s latest end-of-mission statement, unanimously approving an urgent proposal condemning remarks she made last week that were critical of the government.

Burma’s military has maintained ties with North Korea, even though the civilian-led government denies any cooperation, and the Trump administration is pressing for a complete break-off of remaining links, current and former US officials say.

UN human rights envoy Yanghee Lee offered stern words for the Burmese government on Friday evening, urging it to reconsider its refusal to issue visas to a UN fact-finding mission tasked with probing alleged human rights abuses in Arakan State and elsewhere in Burma.

Burma’s government is keeping an eye on the situation for its migrant workers in Qatar as a diplomatic crisis has engulfed the Middle Eastern emirate, vowing to assist any Burmese nationals facing difficulties as a result of the regional upheaval.

Southeast Asian nations plan to use spy planes and drones to stem the movement of militants across their porous borders, defence officials said at the weekend, as concerns rise over the growing clout of the Islamic State in the region.

Three women allegedly involved in the murder and dismembering of a 22­-year­-old karaoke bar worker in northeastern Thailand have fled to an autonomous region in Burma that local authorities claim is difficult to access, according to a Thai anti­-drug agency.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday that China would continue to help the country achieve peace, and called for both sides to maintain stability on their shared border, state media said.

State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday and invited him to attend the 21st Century Panglong Conference next week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday urged major multilateral institutions to join his new Belt and Road Initiative, stressing the importance of rejecting protectionism in seeking global economic growth.

Aung San Suu Kyi has declined an invitation to meet US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington this week alongside top diplomats from Southeast Asia, citing other commitments, Burmese officials said on Tuesday.

Over 20 human rights organisations issue a call to the international community, urging world leaders to pressure the Burmese government into cooperating with a United Nations fact-finding mission on alleged human rights violations in Arakan State and elsewhere in the country.